February Mosiacs

Hello......... I hope you are enjoying the weekend, here in the UK we have some glorious Spring Sunshine, such a joy after all that rain. I'm running a bit behind as usual with my round up of last month, but I got there in the end so here it is.

February: a month when the Spring flowers started to bloom here in the Summerhouse garden. With lots of yarniness in the form of hearts and flowers.  Finally getting everything ready for the Craft club exhibition and doing a bit of stitching too.  

A lot of change too with new treatments for my ME/Lyme disease fingers crossed they will help with my energy levels which are really struggling. Plus a bit of a electrical disaster too thanks to the weather. We finally have power again in the garage so the great laundry crisis is over. (both the chest freezer and washing machine are housed out there.)

Still working on getting the power back on in the Summerhouse but we'll get there, so a big thank you to my brother in law the electrician.

As for February's picture I finally finished it yesterday, it takes so long to get anything done with this new pacing program. I decided to continue the hearts and flowers theme, painting a heart shaped wreath of all the flowers blooming in the garden at the moment. I was just so pleased to see the Spring bulbs pop there head up after the miserable waterlogged winter.

Above is a closer look at some of the detail, I'm finding it quite hard to photograph my pictures well, whether it's the light or the white of the paper or the photographer !! I'm not sure (it's probably the photographer !!)

Here's the finished painting, it took me a couple of weeks to finished a little at the time when I had the energy. It's watercolour and ink, I'm really enjoying getting my paints out again and hopefully I'll improve as the year goes on, even if I don't it's good to be sticking to my new year resolution to do some art.

You can read a bit more about the individual makes from last month over in February's archive if you want to.

Happy Crafting 

Clare xx

This week...

Hello...... This week here at the Summerhouse has been a bit of a hectic one with it's ups downs.

It started well as on Monday I taught a friend how to crochet

and Spring is coming along very nicely out in the garden

The weather however has not been so great, rain rain go away !!

even the fields are started to flood here and we are on high grown, the water shining silver in the sunshine

This week I've picked up my summerhouse sampler again and started work on my tree to represent winter. Doodle stitching away, just need to add some frosty sparkle to the branches and maybe some snow, instead of all this dreadful rain.

This week my lovely sister drove me on a six hour round trip, through winds rains and flooded roads to a hospital appointment to see a Immunologist.  It turned out to be a worthwhile trip, despite how exhausting it all was. As he was very knowledgeable about CFS and has recommended some new treatments that might help my ME/Lyme disease.

He said he thinks I have CFS and wants me to start on antiviral drugs and also Vitamin B12 injections among other things to see if they will help.

He has also asked me if I would take part in some research studies into ME that are being run.

The day did not however end quite so well, as we arrived home to a very stressed out 'P' as water had being pouring into the Garage and through the fuse box. It has knock out the electrics in the Garage and Summerhouse.  

So it was made safe, until thankfully my brother in law who's a electrician could come the next day and start to sort things.  Unfortunately the chest freezer and washing machine are in the garage but we managed to save the freezer full of food by him hooking up a waterproof cable from the house.

Hopefully it will all be rewired and working again at some point next week.

The cats are going a bit cranky too with all the rain,  I couldn't resist taking this picture of them acting like a couple of books ends

So for the rest of the week I've been feeling pretty unwell, so it's been lots of resting and a bit of crochet, cuddle up with the crafting assistants. I'm working on some yarn bombing makes (more on that another day)

On a more positive note there has been a bit of  gorgeous blue blue sky and I've been sticking to the anti inflammatory diet, which I think is helping some of my symptoms

and there have been Roses too, real

and crocheted.

A week of ups and downs but looking back it's not been all bad. I count ourselves very lucky so far with the weather, the troubles in the garage seems bad enough so I feel so sorry for everyone who is suffering with the flooding and storms in the UK. Another one hit last night, so lets hope there is no more major damage to this weather battered little Island of ours and the sun is shining again soon

Happy Crafting

Clare x

With everything I'm really behind with my blog reading but hope to catch up soon. xx

Lately......

Lately....... I've been stuck in bed most of the time thanks to this virus and my ME/Lyme's, I'm pretty expert at this bed resting malarkey after twenty four years of illness so I know what low energy actvities help past the time when I'm not resting. So here's what I been up to for the past few weeks. I've been colouring as you can never have to much colour in you're life !!

  and Dylan has taken to snoozing on the bed. keeping me company.

I've been finishing off the pennants for my seaside bunting, hand stitching each one

and then stitching it all together, so there will be a Ta-Dah moment soon. Having to sit at the table to  use the sewing machine means there has been some dreaded Lyme/ME payback but that's life and I'm so pleased the bunting is finished.

The mini Iris have sprouted and are now on a sunny windowsill just waiting to flower and I can't wait.

Lately we have had lots of home made soups, perfect for this time of year.

This one was roasted butternut squash, all part of the recover plan.

As usual I've been doing lots resting and snoozing with my snuggle buddy

and  also some sorting out some of the embroidery threads,

 with my trusty crafting assistant, how many shot has he been in now!!

Lately we have had

some wonderful

Sunsets

around these parts

and I've been eating lots of healthy anti inflammatory foods

I've started a new drawing too

and the little piles of crocheted squares are slowly growing

for my granny blanket plan, 

(I really must get around to sewing the ends in before there are to many to face doing it)

I'm still reading 'The Colour' by Rose Tremain, which has had a few unexpected turns but I'm enjoying the adventure.

Oh and Dylan has started proof reading the blog for me. Cats they really would be running the world if they had opposable thumbs!!

Joining in with Ginny's Yarn along and Marianne' and Chirssie's  crochet along so why not pop over and see what everyone else has been making.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

View from the window: A year in pictures

Hello...... at the beginning of last year before I even started writing the blog, I decided for one of my resolutions that I would under take a view from the window photo project. So each month I have taken a photo of my favourite view from our home. Taken from our landing window that looks out across fields to our local windmill. Which I'm thrilled to say that after many years is now working again I was overmoon happy to see the sails turning for the first time at the beginning of last year, simple pleasures I'm easily pleased. As you probably know if you're a regular reader each month I've been sharing the view from the window pictures as part of my 'Pick and Mix post.

So here we are,are you ready to see a years worth if images,  it's just so lovely to see how the seasons change this view and the windmill facing different directions depending on the weather.

January-March

April-June

July-September

October-December

 

I do so love this view, whether it be frosty cold, Spring blossom or Autumn mists, I'm so pleased I decided to take a picture each month and now have this lovely record. I'm desperately hoping that the plan to build houses on the fields falls through, as in my opinion it's one of the loveliest views we have around here but I guess only time will tell.

As I mentioned a few posts ago  'here' one thing I have decided to try and do this year is a little more art, not because I'm very good at it, as I'm not but because it something I enjoy and find really relaxing.  So here's my first picture for the year and well it just had to be really 'My favourite view' from the house.

I added the Horse Chestnut tree from the garden into the foreground with a bit of artist licence as I noticed the other day while stuck in bed, that with the leaves missing from the tree you can see the windmill and fields from my bedroom window.

The picture is in coloured pencil and outlined in ink. Seeing as I've not attempted to draw a landscape in many year I think it turned out OK. In the end I decided to go for a wintry scene as snow requires much less colouring. In all the picture took me about a week, with my pacing program doing a little at a time

Well thats it for today, I hope you are all having a good weekend

Happy Crafting 

Clare xx

December : Pick and mix

Hello it's pick and mix time again, so help yourself to a chocolate as here are this months little bits and bobs of Summerhouse living.

The view from the window:

This month the view is looking very wintry with frosty rooftop, yet the gorgeous Autumnal colours are still hanging in there, oh how those trees cheer my heart.

Things I made and things I love

December means it's time to unpack all things Christmassy, some things I've made over the past year like these crocheted snowflake decorations made for the tree and as gifts last year

and my little felt Strawbug not a fully a Christmas decoration, but I think there will be space for it on the tree, you can read about how I made it 'here'

and then some things that I just love and treasure, like this gorgeous angel candle that I just bare to light it's so serene

and this little angel, who holds a very dear place in my heart, she's only tiny and one of a pair, (she was originally a earring) but now she spends every Christmas time hanging on my dressing table mirror. She and her twin were bought to decorate my  Dad 's little Christmas tree when he was terminally ill in hospital.  It was a tiny little real tree and of course it needed a angel for the top and this little angle was the perfect size for the job. 

It's hard to believe, this is the forth year since we lost Dad, so December has it's sad times too here at the Summerhouse,  so we lit a candle on Tuesday, talked about our memories of you and ate Walnut Whips (his favourite) to remember you Dad.

Then of course there is the wire work fairy, who I love so much she hangs on the blossom tree in my room all year round, but is at her most magical at Christmas time.

Out in the garden:

Just look at the colour hard to believe all this is flowering still, it cheers the heart on a winters day, see I told you the other week, we still had roses in bloom, I'm not going to say anymore just let them speak for themselves.

There is winteriness too, I  gathered some of this in on the solstice last weekend.

Fairy Things:

Here at the Summerhouse there are fearie things afoot, yes all the supply are sitting together ready for my next make, just waiting for a little bit of time to begin things, can you guess what it's going to be?

Another recent make is this cute little felt birdie that I made last week for the wintertime wreath. I simply cute out a little bird shape and a tiny fabric wing and then added a cute button eye, (that was upcycled from a old pair of PJ's) Then all I had to do was add a little stuffing and blanket stitch my birdie together. 

 Now I'm think I need to make a whole heap of these birds in different colours to hang on my blossom tree. How cute would they look amongst the blossom. Maybe a project for the new year.

Tiny Tabbies:

Over the past week the Summerhouse craft supplies and breakables have been pack away as some very special Christmas guests are coming to stay.  Yep these two little cuties will be coming to stay over the holiday. They are however slightly larger now than in this picture which was taken for a calender I made for there owner, when they were kittens, but I'm so looking forward to seeing them again. Not long to wait now, for tabbies as well as Santa to visit.

Just before I go I thought I share with you this little joke gift I got for 'P's' stocking tee hee

yay for chocolate Brussel sprouts.

Not long to wait now.

Clare xx